Several of South Africa’s most beloved former Protea players united to boost young developing cricket talent. JP Duminy, Jonty Rhodes and Meyrick Pringle were among cricket greats who visited Masimphumelele in Noordhoek, as part of the Sasfin Cape Town Sixes to engage with young cricket players.
“We are trying to uplift our communities and the game of cricket, but we need infrastructure, nets and facilities in the rural areas as well and we need people to buy our vision. We also need to focus on coaches and give them enough support to develop the players” said Duminy.
The Hit Poverty for a Six initiative saw the Protea legends coaching 26 pupils from Ukhanyo Primary School in Masiphumelele. Ryan Christian, from Hit Poverty for a Six, said “It’s been amazing to contribute to the amazing work being done in sports development. Originally, the 2,000 Ukhanyo pupils only had one PT teacher and limited facilities and now, with the support of former cricketer Vince van der Bijl and his MasiCorp750 initiative, he has created a growing sports programme.”
The #HitPovertyForASix team including Johnty Rhodes, former West Indies fielding coach Ryan Maron, and comedians Rob van Vuuren and Nik Rabinowitz took on the Protea legends, winning by three runs. CEO of Sasfin, Michael Sassoon said “Seeing SA legends, teachers and coaches come together to raise awareness of the rising talent in this country has made the time, effort and investment completely worthwhile.
Sasfin donated money for every six hit to Duminy’s latest project called #takeasquarecampaign. The project is dedicated to upgrading a school field at Hyacinth Primary and requiring 2,000 square metres of grass. The three days of competitive amateur cricket included a VIP Corporate Cup, Castle Lager League, Coca-Cola League, Tag Rugby and six-a-side soccer.
